


Stories of Us

by agentwashingcat



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Gen, I'm not doing all the friendship ones I don't have time lol, MERweek, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Will update every day for mass effect relationship week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-07
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-11-10 01:37:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 1,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11117175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentwashingcat/pseuds/agentwashingcat
Summary: A collection of short stories/drabbles from the original Mass Effect trilogy. Based on prompts for Mass Effect Relationship week on tumblr!





	1. The Day We Met

A young Garrus peeked into his parents bedroom, curiosity overriding his father's orders to let his mother rest. He had heard the new baby had come, he wanted to meet her!

His mother looked up as she saw Garrus stick his head in, letting out a small laugh. “Do you want to meet your new sister, Garrus?”

Garrus nodded eagerly, scurrying in as fast as his little legs could carry him. He pulled himself up on to the bed, settling in next to his mother.

In her arms was a little bundle wrapped in a blanket. Garrus leaned forward to inspect her, mandibles flaring out in surprise. “She’s tiny.”

“You were this small once, young man,” his mother reminded him, lifting a finger to boop his nose.

Garrus giggled, chirping happily. “What’s her name?”

“Solana.”

At her name, Solana made a small chirping noise, yawning. 

Garrus chirped in delight. “I like her. She can stay.” He decided then and there he would be the best big brother ever. That was a promise, and Vakarian’s never broke promises.


	2. Pictures of You

Taking a moment to push away her many monitors, Liara leaned back, letting out a sigh. Being the Shadow broker was a tough job, but one that needed to be done. Well, maybe not needed, but she certainly couldn’t let all this data go to waste. It was a lucrative business, after all.

Reaching for the picture she kept on her desk, Liara brought it close, allowing a small smile to spread over her lips. A picture of the original Normandy crew. Her, Tali, Kaidan, Ashley, Garrus, Wrex, and Shepard, of course. Her fingers reached out, trailing gently over the glass.

She was the only one left now. Of course it wasn’t all bad. There was still Grunt, and Miranda, though she was beginning to show signs of her age. And of course her friends descendents that she needed to keep an eye on. If she had to pull one more Shepard-Vakarian out of trouble…

Not that she minded. After all Shepard had done for her, it was the least she could do.

Taking one last longing look at the picture, she set it back down, turning back to her monitors. A shadow brokers work was never done.


	3. Late Night Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard and Joker have a late night talk. Takes place during ME2.

It was late into the night cycle on the Normandy, nothing to be heard except the soft hum of the engines lulling everyone to sleep. And then the soft patter of bare feet on the metal floor as Shepard moved almost silently through the Normandy’s kitchen, looking for some coffee.

Since she couldn’t sleep anyway, she decided she would get some work done. She had more than enough reports to look over and pass on to Admiral Hackett. Might as well not waste time lying in bed when there was work to be done.

Settling at the table with a fresh cup of coffee, she began to look through the reports, only looking up when she noticed someone settling across from her a while later.

Joker had his own cup of coffee, stifling a yawn as he rubbed at his eyes. “Morning, Shep.”

“It’s 0200, Joker,” Shepard said, amusement coloring her voice. 

“Oh, I know, but that’s still technically morning.”

“True.” Shepard took the interruption to lean back, stretching her sore muscles. “Can’t sleep either?”

“Nah. Sleep is overrated.” Joker was silent for a moment. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

“You just did, but I guess you can ask something else.”

“Ha ha, very funny, Shep.” Joker took a sip of coffee, as if deliberating his words. Something unusual for him. “Do you remember what it was like? To die?”

The question slammed into Shepard like a freight train, and for a moment she could only stare at Joker. Who brought that kind of thing up? 

“Yes.” Was the short reply, as she turned back to the data pad in front of her.

“Sorry,” Joker said instantly. “I didn’t, jesus, that probably sounded insensitive. I just… I remember watching you die. Gave me nightmares, you know.”

Shepard slowly looked back up, watching Joker for a moment. “That was… not one of our finer moments.”

“I’ll say,” Joker said, letting out a huff of hot air. “It was just… hard. Knowing you gave your life for me. Why did you give your life for me? I mean great Commander Shepard, savior of the Citadel, blah blah blah, versus Joker the pilot? I’m sure lots of people wonder the same thing.”

It took Shepard a moment to answer, weighing her words carefully. “I was going to die anyway. I was a few seconds from shooting off into space, and I wasn’t about to let you come with me. As far as I was concerned, it was one of us or both of us. So I hit the button to save you.”

Silence fell over them as Joker processed that answer. “That’s some Spock shit, you know that?”

“Hey, if I’m anyone it’s James T. Kirk, dammit.”

“You haven’t slept with enough asari for that.”

“As far as you know.”

“Yeah, okay… wait, what?”


	4. In the Heat of Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Shepard spend time off the only way they know how: shooting each other with nerf guns

Shepard drew her weapon, creeping down the hallway. Nearly silent from years of practice, she peeked around a corner, pulling back when catching site of the enemy.

“I see you, Shepard! Come out before I make you come out!”

“How you gonna do that? We said no biotics, Jack,” Shepard hollered back, smirk spreading over her face. 

Before Jack could reply, Shepard whipped her gun around the corner, firing all her nerf bullets at Jack.

Jack let out a noise of surprise, ducking back behind her wall. “Gotta be quicker than that!”

Taking her up on it, Shepard dashed across the open expanse of land, running into Jack’s hiding spot to tackle the other woman to the ground.

Apparently Jack had not expected that, as Shepard got a blast of biotics right to the face sending her flying through the air, landing heavily on her back.

She gasped in a breath, coughing as she tried to get her air back.

“Shit, Shepard, you can’t just tackle people!” Jack insisted, kneeling next to Shepard and placing a hand on her shoulder. “You alright?”

“Yeah, just need a minute.” Shepard wheezed, before managing to sit up. “Maybe next time we should just try card games?”

“Nah, this is more fun,” Jack said with a laugh, pulling out her gun to shoot Shepard in the chest with a nerf dart now that it was clear she was fine. “And that’s one round for me. Ready for round two?”

“You’re on.”


	5. Fun with Food

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard tries to cook for Garrus. It goes about as well as you would expect.

Shepard focused intently on the cook book in front of her, tongue poking at from between her lips as she separated out the ingredients she would need. She was wearing a pair of gloves, a suggestion of Solana’s incase Shepard had a reaction to any of the dextro ingredients. Solana had also been kind enough to translate the measurements as best she could, but it was still a struggle to know how much she needed.

“As long as I don’t poison him it’s a win, right?” Shepard mumbled to herself, stirring the pot with all the ingredients. It didn’t look particularly appetizing to her, but then she didn’t have to eat it.

When she was almost done, she heard to the door to the house open. “I’m in the kitchen, Garrus!”

“You, in the kitchen? Am I dreaming?” Garrus teased, appearing in the kitchen doorway a moment later. “What are you cooking, it smells awful, by the way.”

Shepard frowned, looking at him over her shoulder. “It was supposed to be for you, but I might have done something wrong.”

“For me, huh?” Garrus approached the stove, eyes widening slightly at the sight in front of him. “It looks… uh… Shepard you can’t even cook levo food, why did you attempt this?”

Shepard sighed, shoulders slumping. “I just wanted to do something nice for you.”

“Well, I very much appreciate it,” Garrus assured her, wrapping his arms around her from behind. He let his head move forward, brushing his face plates against her hair in a facsimile of a human kiss. “Why don’t we go out to eat tonight? My treat.”

“Just no places with fish tanks, alright?”

“Of course. Wouldn’t want a repeat of the sushi restaurant.”


	6. Break My Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard reflects after seeing Kaidan on Horizon

Shepard curled up in the center of her bed, staring at the wall across from her. It wasn’t fair, she was trying to do the right thing, she had always tried to do the right thing. How come Kaidan couldn’t see that?

She understood he didn’t trust Cerberus. She didn’t either. But couldn’t he trust her? Garrus had trusted her. Hell, even Tali had trusted her after what Cerberus did to the fleet. Did he think she didn’t know the shit Cerberus had done? They were the reason her entire squad on Akuze died. That wasn’t something she would forget.

But they were the only ones trying to do anything about the Reapers.

Letting out a noise of frustration, Shepard pulled herself up, stalking across her room to put the picture of Kaidan face down on her desk. It didn’t matter now, she supposed. They would just have to continue this mission without him.


End file.
